The List: MMOs As a Grown Up
Confession time: I was pretty much a man-child until I was 26. I was the perpetual student, in grad school, and working a job that let me set my own hours. In short, pretty much the perfect arrangement for a longtime MMO fan. When I graduated, everything fell into order and my whole life changed. Maybe you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. Full-time jobs, children, all of the good things of life swoop in and steal game time right out from under you. It raises the question: how can you be an MMO fan when the whole world is conspiring against you – should you even try?
A little more background before we continue. For me, it wasn’t being a first-year third grade teacher that made playing MMOs a challenge; it was becoming a father. The joy of my life, my little son Theodore who is only now nine months old, grabbed the keyboard from my hand and asked me to pick up the bottle and pat his little back. I did, happily. The two things combined, fatherhood and teacherhood, all thrust upon me within five months, not to mention being the husband I wanted to be, radically shifted my priorities. I was dad. I was twenty-two student’s “Mr. Coke.” Being Syeric, the Orc Warlock just wasn’t as important.
But, hell, sometimes a person just has to relax. I’ve spent the last three months trying to figure out how to fit each part of my life into the waking hours of my day. This is what I’ve found out.
1) Face it, you’re a casual
Gone are the days of the 2A.M. raid. Sure, you might be able to pull it off on the weekend, but if you’re anything like me, staying up past eleven on a weeknight is a far stretch. Between getting home from work in the evening, spending time with the family, and getting ready for work the next day, there is precious little time to be anything resembling hardcore.
That might sound like a loss but, come on, we’re talking MMOs in 2014. There is literally no better time to be a casual MMO player. Developers are designing content for players aging out of the hardcore bracket while still keeping things in check for the up-and-comers. There are plenty of things to do and long-term goals to chip away at. My goal? Get myself ready for Warlords of Draenor’s LFR tool and then find a guild I can join on Saturday nights. I’ll see the content but differently. Given that three years ago I wouldn’t have seen it at all, I’m alright with that.
With that…
2) Make time wherever you can
Finding time for MMOs can be tough but it’s not impossible. Be willing to break your time into smaller chunks or learn to love the late night. For me, I take a couple of hours a week after my son goes to bed to put on my headphones and log in. Staying up late isn’t a good idea for an early riser like me, but on the weekend, all holds are off. That’s core dungeon time: a solid, uninterrupted block when the family is asleep. Look at your life. Where can you fit in an hour or two? You’ll be surprised how little it takes to stay connected.
3) But give up on keeping up with the joneses
This was a tough one for me. I want to get in and play each new game and level alongside my friends. I want to run dungeons and have static groups, share in the stories of our adventures together. As my level 94 warlock in Warlords of Draenor can attest, that’s just not happening.
What I didn’t expect was the sense of relief that came from accepting that fact. I’m loving taking a slow tour through Draenor. I’m soaking things in, relishing in the painterly environments and new enemies; I’m reading quest text and immersing myself in the story. Most importantly, I’m holding onto that excitement to log in and see new things far longer than I ever have in the past. It’s like I’m finding MMOs all over again, re-experiencing that mystery we so often lose to years and extended hours of play. I plan to do the same with RIFT, but...
4) If you play more than one MMO, learn to smell the roses
It’s hard to play more than one MMO as a full-time player, let alone as a part-timer. Going into multiple MMOs expecting to make swift progress is like trying to push a tractor trailer up a hill. Learn to enjoy the ride. Find joy in the journey and finally accept that the “real game begins at level cap” is the biggest line of bull to ever come out of the MMO industry. The cake is a lie.
And you know what? Going full on Tourist Mode can be a great thing. More than ever before, you should play what you want. Logging in because you have to, when you have so little time to begin with, is only going to make you resent that game. You can still have social ties, but maybe you’ll need to support in forums and Ventrilo more. The point is, don’t believe that the doors have closed for you. The fact is, being a little selfish with your game time is just fine, and actually incredibly freeing.
5) Try new games you wouldn’t normally try
One of the things I’ve found is that when my son is awake, my playtime has to come in short bursts.Guild Wars 2 may not be the best option in a situation like this. Instead, something like Marvel Heroes or DC Universe Online make for a much better fit. There are lots of games out there you might have looked over before that would be a perfect fit for your gaming style today. A change in lifestyle can alter your perspective and bring you a new favorite game.
6) Buy a Razer Naga
If you have a baby, you need a Naga. Parents of young children will understand the benefit of one-handed gaming. Sometimes my son just wants to be held. The Naga puts an entire action bar and more at your fingertips allowing you to effectively play without touching your keyboard. My little guy can nap in my arms while I gleefully drop fireballs on my enemies. The Naga reduces your downtime and frees you to multitask like no other. (Though make sure to enjoy your kids away from the game too!)
7) Learn to love the meta-game
I came up as a blogger, so my go-to source for keeping in touch with my game communities is the blogosphere and sites like MMORPG.com. Reading about the adventures of other players never fails to make me want to log in. More importantly, it keeps me informed about the things I just don’t have time for. Check out Reddit. Follow bloggers and MMO fans on Twitter. Toss some good forums on your favorites. It’s amazing how connected you can be while not actually connecting with each and every game.
8) Get support and don’t give up
I’m going to be frank here. Don’t buy into the line that you should just quit because you can’t play three hours each and every day. That’s idiotic and anyone who says that is looking down their nose at the majority of game players, not to mention the game developers who would prefer that you certainly don’tquit. It’s not about how much you should be able to do or whether you can achieve as much as the next guy. It’s about whether you’re having fun. Everyone else can suck an egg.
And here’s the thing. This is something you do for fun. You shouldn’t give up on it just because your life has gotten busy. Everybody, gamer or not, needs to take some time for themselves. We’re lucky enough to be able to take time to actually be someone else. Some people do Candy Crush. You do ArcheAge. Hold onto that. Because really, who the hell is the internet to tell you you shouldn’t?
I’ve learned is that it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too. Many of the most ardent MMO fans are also mothers, fathers, and incredibly busy people that find a way to make MMOs work for them. These are a few ideas that have worked for me. How about you?
I read this article on mmorpg.com this morning and thought it was good to share!
http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/feature/9264/page/1
Confession time: I was pretty much a man-child until I was 26. I was the perpetual student, in grad school, and working a job that let me set my own hours. In short, pretty much the perfect arrangement for a longtime MMO fan. When I graduated, everything fell into order and my whole life changed. Maybe you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. Full-time jobs, children, all of the good things of life swoop in and steal game time right out from under you. It raises the question: how can you be an MMO fan when the whole world is conspiring against you – should you even try?
A little more background before we continue. For me, it wasn’t being a first-year third grade teacher that made playing MMOs a challenge; it was becoming a father. The joy of my life, my little son Theodore who is only now nine months old, grabbed the keyboard from my hand and asked me to pick up the bottle and pat his little back. I did, happily. The two things combined, fatherhood and teacherhood, all thrust upon me within five months, not to mention being the husband I wanted to be, radically shifted my priorities. I was dad. I was twenty-two student’s “Mr. Coke.” Being Syeric, the Orc Warlock just wasn’t as important.
But, hell, sometimes a person just has to relax. I’ve spent the last three months trying to figure out how to fit each part of my life into the waking hours of my day. This is what I’ve found out.
)
1) Face it, you’re a casual
Gone are the days of the 2A.M. raid. Sure, you might be able to pull it off on the weekend, but if you’re anything like me, staying up past eleven on a weeknight is a far stretch. Between getting home from work in the evening, spending time with the family, and getting ready for work the next day, there is precious little time to be anything resembling hardcore.
That might sound like a loss but, come on, we’re talking MMOs in 2014. There is literally no better time to be a casual MMO player. Developers are designing content for players aging out of the hardcore bracket while still keeping things in check for the up-and-comers. There are plenty of things to do and long-term goals to chip away at. My goal? Get myself ready for Warlords of Draenor’s LFR tool and then find a guild I can join on Saturday nights. I’ll see the content but differently. Given that three years ago I wouldn’t have seen it at all, I’m alright with that.
With that…
2) Make time wherever you can
Finding time for MMOs can be tough but it’s not impossible. Be willing to break your time into smaller chunks or learn to love the late night. For me, I take a couple of hours a week after my son goes to bed to put on my headphones and log in. Staying up late isn’t a good idea for an early riser like me, but on the weekend, all holds are off. That’s core dungeon time: a solid, uninterrupted block when the family is asleep. Look at your life. Where can you fit in an hour or two? You’ll be surprised how little it takes to stay connected.
3) But give up on keeping up with the joneses
This was a tough one for me. I want to get in and play each new game and level alongside my friends. I want to run dungeons and have static groups, share in the stories of our adventures together. As my level 94 warlock in Warlords of Draenor can attest, that’s just not happening.
)
What I didn’t expect was the sense of relief that came from accepting that fact. I’m loving taking a slow tour through Draenor. I’m soaking things in, relishing in the painterly environments and new enemies; I’m reading quest text and immersing myself in the story. Most importantly, I’m holding onto that excitement to log in and see new things far longer than I ever have in the past. It’s like I’m finding MMOs all over again, re-experiencing that mystery we so often lose to years and extended hours of play. I plan to do the same with RIFT, but...
4) If you play more than one MMO, learn to smell the roses
It’s hard to play more than one MMO as a full-time player, let alone as a part-timer. Going into multiple MMOs expecting to make swift progress is like trying to push a tractor trailer up a hill. Learn to enjoy the ride. Find joy in the journey and finally accept that the “real game begins at level cap” is the biggest line of bull to ever come out of the MMO industry. The cake is a lie.
And you know what? Going full on Tourist Mode can be a great thing. More than ever before, you should play what you want. Logging in because you have to, when you have so little time to begin with, is only going to make you resent that game. You can still have social ties, but maybe you’ll need to support in forums and Ventrilo more. The point is, don’t believe that the doors have closed for you. The fact is, being a little selfish with your game time is just fine, and actually incredibly freeing.
5) Try new games you wouldn’t normally try
One of the things I’ve found is that when my son is awake, my playtime has to come in short bursts.Guild Wars 2 may not be the best option in a situation like this. Instead, something like Marvel Heroes or DC Universe Online make for a much better fit. There are lots of games out there you might have looked over before that would be a perfect fit for your gaming style today. A change in lifestyle can alter your perspective and bring you a new favorite game.
6) Buy a Razer Naga
If you have a baby, you need a Naga. Parents of young children will understand the benefit of one-handed gaming. Sometimes my son just wants to be held. The Naga puts an entire action bar and more at your fingertips allowing you to effectively play without touching your keyboard. My little guy can nap in my arms while I gleefully drop fireballs on my enemies. The Naga reduces your downtime and frees you to multitask like no other. (Though make sure to enjoy your kids away from the game too!)
)
7) Learn to love the meta-game
I came up as a blogger, so my go-to source for keeping in touch with my game communities is the blogosphere and sites like MMORPG.com. Reading about the adventures of other players never fails to make me want to log in. More importantly, it keeps me informed about the things I just don’t have time for. Check out Reddit. Follow bloggers and MMO fans on Twitter. Toss some good forums on your favorites. It’s amazing how connected you can be while not actually connecting with each and every game.
8) Get support and don’t give up
I’m going to be frank here. Don’t buy into the line that you should just quit because you can’t play three hours each and every day. That’s idiotic and anyone who says that is looking down their nose at the majority of game players, not to mention the game developers who would prefer that you certainly don’tquit. It’s not about how much you should be able to do or whether you can achieve as much as the next guy. It’s about whether you’re having fun. Everyone else can suck an egg.
And here’s the thing. This is something you do for fun. You shouldn’t give up on it just because your life has gotten busy. Everybody, gamer or not, needs to take some time for themselves. We’re lucky enough to be able to take time to actually be someone else. Some people do Candy Crush. You do ArcheAge. Hold onto that. Because really, who the hell is the internet to tell you you shouldn’t?
I’ve learned is that it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too. Many of the most ardent MMO fans are also mothers, fathers, and incredibly busy people that find a way to make MMOs work for them. These are a few ideas that have worked for me. How about you?
I read this article on mmorpg.com this morning and thought it was good to share!
http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/feature/9264/page/1
